Graphite-separator.



No. 722,211. PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903.

J. H.VDAVIS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1901 N0 MODEL.

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JOHN H. DAVIS, OF GLENS FALLS, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES GRAPHITE COMPANY, OF GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NE'W YORK.

G RAPH lTE-SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,211, dated March 10, 1903.

Application filed April 1, 1901- T0 at whmn it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glens Falls, in the county of Warren and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Graphite-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed particularly to improvements in water graphite-separators such, for instance, as is disclosed in a prior application filed by me in the United States Patent Office on the 14th day of September, 1900, bearing Serial No. 30,037; and it has for its objects, first, to provide means for discharging the crude powdered material upon the surface of the water in such manner as to avoid any unnecessary waste of the pure graphite, and, second, to provide means for facilitating the feed of the powdered material from the bottom of the hopper in which it is sustained.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the graphite-separator disclosed in my prior application with my improvement attached thereto, a portion of the bottom of the hopper being broken away to show more clearly the operation of the apparatus for facilitating the feed of the crude powdered material therefrom. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the body of the improved part of the apparatus on the line a 00, Fig. 1, and as seen looking thereat from the bottom toward the top of the drawings, the separator itself being illustrated in plan view. Fig. 3 is a detail View illustrating the nature of the apparatus for facilitating the feed of the crude powdered material.

Referring now to the drawings in detail for a full and clear understanding of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to construct and use the same, A represents a graphite-separator having a dischargepipe for the tailings, a spout S for carrying away the separated graphite, and a chamber F for receiving the water at the underside of the separator, this entire structure being substantially like that disclosed in my beforementioned application.

To one side of the separator is secured by Serial No. 53,772- (No model.)

a standard O a long journal-bearing J, in which is journaled a shaft having attached to its opposite ends a driving-pulley P and a crank or disk D, to which is secured a pitman E, attached in turn to the under side of an angularly-disposed distributing-board B, so arranged as to slide back and forth in guideways or other means V V, attached to the inner faces of the separator, and an additional guide E, as shown in Fig. 2, further guideways being provided at the upper edge of the board, as illustrated in Fig. 1, or this distributing-board may be held in any preferred manner at any preferred angle to the surface of the water, so long as it is so arranged that it may be given vibratory or reciprocating motion, as hereinafter described.

H is an oblong hopper secured by standards or otherwise above the surface of the separator and above the upper surface of the distributing-board B, the bottom of said hopper being provided with a series of holes or openings for permitting the crude powdered material to pass therethrough.

K K are brackets secured to the lower face of the hopper and provided with journal-bearings adapted to receive the opposite journaled ends of a shaft F, to which is secured a series of pointed rectangular-shaped pins 13 1310, located beneath the openings in the bottom of the hopper.

G is an arm attached to the shaft F, and I is a link attached to the free end of the arm G and to a crank or disk L, carried by a shaft M, having secured to its opposite end a driving-pulley P said shaft, pulley, and crank, or disk being supported by a bracket N, secured to the under face of the hopper H.

b b are driving-belts driven continuously by any preferred source of power.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The separator is filled with water in the manner disclosed in my before-mentioned application, and the powdered material embracing the graphite and tailings to be separated therefrom is placed in the hopper H. The pulleys P and P are set in motion by the belts b b, and consequently the pulley P causes the shaft M, and hence the crank or disk L, to impart reciprocating or vibratory motion to the series of pins 19, through the link I and arm G, in such manner as to alternately open and close the holes in the bottom of the hopper, thereby keeping the same free, so that the powdered material will pass therethrough without any choking action. As the material descends it falls upon the inclined face of the distributing-board B, which in turn is given a rapid reciprocating or vibratory motion by means of the belt I), pulley P, crank or disk D, and pitman E. Consequently the material as it descends upon the surface of the water is evenly distributed thereover, and the tailings pass immediately to the bottom and out to the pipe P, while the separated graphite flows gently away in a different direction by way of the spout S.

I do not limit my improvement to the specific details of construction herein shown and described nor to the use of the same with my especial form of graphite-separator, the same being applicable, as may be readily appreciaied, to water graphite-separators in general, andI desire it understood that my claims hereinafter made are of such scope as to include such application or use; nor do I limit my improvement to the reciprocating movement of the distributing-board B, as the same might be given a trembling or vibratory movement in any other manner and perform with equal efficiency the same result.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. Meansfor feeding powdered graphite toa separator, including a hopper, provided with a series of holes or openings in its bottom, a series of pointed pins adapted to enter said holes or openings and means for reciprocating said pins into and out of said holes, whereby said holes are left completely open at times and are practically completely closed at other times.

2. Means for feeding powdered graphite to a separator, including a hopper, provided with a series of holes or openings in its bottom, a series of pointed pins adapted to enter said holes or openings, means for reciprocating said pins into and out of said holes, whereby said holes are left completely open at times and are completely closed at other times, a distributing-board,and means for moving said board back and forth.

3. The combination with a wetseparator for graphite, of a feed-hopper having a plurality of openings in its bottom, pins adapted to be vertically reciprocated in said openings, an inclined distributingboard located beneath said openings and extending in proximity to the water-surface of the separator,

means for operating said pins for regulating the discharge from said hopper, and means for agitating said distributing-board to spread and deliver the material with the minimum of disturbance.

4. The combination with a Wet separator for graphite, of a feed-hopper having openings in its bottom, a series of pointed pins acting as agitators for the material, means for imparting vertical reciprocation to said pins, and an inclined transversely reciprocating feed-board located beneath the openings in said hopper and extending into proximity to the water-surface to spread and deliver the material with the minimum of disturbance. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN H. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

W. W. BROWN, J. M. ORoNIN. 

